With this issue of MichiganScience, we launch a new feature that will highlight data relevant to current events. Readers are welcome to send suggestions for future topics to MichiganScience@mackinac.org.

Nearly 7 billion gallons of ethanol are now produced annually
in the United States, an increase of some 250 percent in the past five years.
The data above illustrate how policy choices can produce unintended
consequences.

The vast majority of ethanol produced in the United States
comes from corn, which has prompted a significant shift away from soybean
production to corn.

The prices for soybeans increase as the supply declines. The higher prices
prompt farmers in Brazil to plant more soybeans. Consequently, the rate of
deforestation in Brazil has worsened.